Love At First Kick
by LunaTheOracle
Summary: Adelina, a Polish soccer player, is kicked off of her team because she plays too rough and has injured a lot of players. With the help of her childhood friend, Robert Lewandowski, she is determined to make the Polish National team for the Euro 2012. Something terrible happens on her journey to fame, and in the end, what will Adelina chose? Her passion for soccer, or, her family?
1. Chapter 1: It All Began In The Rain

I train on the soccer field in the middle of the night, under the pouring rain. Just kicking numerous soccer balls into the net in frustration. It's been a week since I got kicked off the women's soccer team. Apparently, I was playing " _too rough for far too long_". In my opinion, women are just babies when it comes down to who hit the other or made them trip, always complaining and trying to get on each other's backs. In other words, a real pain in the ass.

I walk over to the net and start to pick up the balls, and I walk back to where I was standing before. I resume my routine, and the moment when my coach told me I was supposed to leave the team replayed in my head.

_" What in the name of hell was that all about, Adelina? Do you realise you just injured 3 girls that are on the same team as you in just 45 minutes?" he screamed._

_" It's not my fault they were in the wa-"_

_" That's no excuse! This isn't the first time it happened, and it will be the last." he said with a solemn look. " Even though you are a great player, your attitude is over the top. You've been playing rough for far too long. You're off the team." _

Just like that, my life came crashing down. All I think about is soccer. I live, breathe, and eat with soccer. I've been playing it since I was 5 years old, and I love it. Being kicked off the team, I couldn't believe it. What do I do with my life now? The team I was on was the best women's soccer team in the whole country, if they couldn't handle me, then I can't imagine the others.

I look up at the sky, the rain pouring on me.

" Adelina?" I turn around at the sound of my name. I see a figure standing in the rain, a female silhouette. It approaches me, and I finally recognise who it is, my sister Emma.

" What?" I snap at her. She brings the umbrella she is holding over me.

" Aren't you cold?" she asks, worried. I turn away and I scoff. Emma is my older sister, pretty much the pride of the family. She's engaged to some rich guy, had great grades in school, she's the CEO of some financial company. And then, there's me. Oh, I had good grades, excellent ones too, but since I came after my sister, everything I did was never good enough, especially for my mom. My father was the one who introduced me to soccer, he's been supporting me ever since I set foot on the field. But for my mom, I had to be the same as my sister. I feel resentment towards Emma and my mother. Always have, always will.

" I've never seen you train so hard... Something happened? You have a game coming up?" she asks with that smile of hers that just makes my toes curl.

" Since when do you care? You've never even been to any of my games. Come to think of it, no one from the family did except for Dad." I say to her. She frowns at me.

" You know I can't go. I have work, and the wedding, and Al-"

" See? You're doing it again. Making up excuses like always. You should leave, you'll catch a cold, and then you'll say that you can't see me anymore because of it." I leave from under the umbrella and continue to train. I can hear Emma walk away, and I am alone again. I fall to the ground, and I sigh, letting the drops of rain roll down my face. I want to play in a team again, and I don't have enough money to move abroad and continue my career there, so I need an idea, and soon.

But what? What can I possibly do to play soccer professionally, without being kicked off the team again? What team would accept a rough player and not whine about it?

I close my eyes and I drift off into my thoughts.

Suddenly, a feel a short but sharp pain on my forehead, and my eyes shoot wide open. My eyes are locked with the ones of a man, someone whom I haven't seen in a while.

" Lewy!" I scream and straighten myself up. " I haven't seen you for years and you greet me by flicking my forehead?" He smiles at me and starts to laugh. I get up and start chasing him all over the soccer field.

" Two years and you didn't even e-mail me!" I shout at him. I catch up to him quickly, but he does a faint and comes around behind me, and hits me in the back of my head. I stop running and I glare at him, but he's still smiling.

" I was busy." he simply says.

I glare at him. " That's all you have to say to me? You were _busy_? I'll be busy torturing your ass for the next 20 minutes!" I jump on his back and bring him into a headlock. He starts to spin around in circles, making me quite dizzy and lose my grip. I'm thrown to the ground, and both of us are panting.

" You... Better... Have... An... Excuse..." I pant.

Clearly Lewy is in a better shape than I am, because he says very calmly, " I was busy with Lech Poznań, training and doing competitions. I guess, I just didn't have time. May I ask, what are you doing here at this time?" I avoid his eye contact, and say, " Just, training."

He laughs again, " You're terrible at lying, you know?"

" Funny how my sister can't even tell, and a good friend can." I whisper and look down. Robert puts his arm around my shoulders, and says, " Tell you what? Let's go inside before we both catch pneumonia, hm?" I scoff at his words, but it's hard to hide my joy in having him back. Robert and I have been friends ever since I met him on the field when I was 8 and he was 12. We kind of hit it off instantly with our shared passion for soccer. But when he joined soccer clubs, we started to see each other less and less, until finally, not at all.

We enter the opened gym close by to dry off, and we sit down together on a bench.

" So, care to explain why you're so down?" he asks me. I sigh, because I know I can't keep anything away from him. So, I start to explain to him the whole story, me getting kicked off the team, my opinions on the girls, and me wanting to find a way of joining a new team that's just as good, or even better.

Once I'm done, Lewy shakes his head in disappointment.

" What were you thinking, Lina? You knew that if you continued playing like that you wouldn't stay on the team for long. What do you expect to do now?" he sighed.

" I would go to another country, but we don't exactly have the money to do that, and I don't want to leave my Dad here either. My choices are pretty slim now." I say, and look over to him, but he's staring absent mindedly at the floor.

" I think the only way of actually joining another team," he starts, " is if you join the men's team." he laughs. " We all know that can't happen."

But I process his words in my head. _Join the men's team_. I stare at him with my mouth open, and the kind of look on my face that translates to me thinking that he's a genius.

" That's it!" I exclaim. " That's the solution I need! I can join the men's team, they won't whine about my roughness, I'll be able to gain more experience, and everyone is happy!"

Rob stares at me as if I am demented. " You're kidding, right?" he raises his eyebrows. I shake my head with vigor, and my face looks brighter.

" Whatever you're thinking, I can't be a part of it." he says.

" Why not?" I ask.

" Because I came to say goodbye." he finally says. My smile fades and my eyebrows furrow. _Goodbye_?

" I got signed up to Borussia Dortmund, which is in Germany. I'm leaving tomorrow." I can't believe what he's saying. He just came back, and now he's leaving me again?

I hit his shoulder, and hard. " So you're saying that if you wouldn't have joined another club, you wouldn't have visited me?" I hit him again, yet he is still smiling. " But I'm serious, Lewy, I am up for joining a men's team."

He raises an eyebrow at me. " And, how do you suppose you will pull that off? Sure you can put on a wig and change your voice, but everyone will see right through you. How will you manage to cover up your chest, it isn't exactly small, and the way you act is far from a girl, but not close enough to a guy."

I kick him in the tibia, and he lets out a cry of pain. " What was that for?" he shouts.

" That, was for looking at my chest, you perve." we both start laughing.

" You're crazy..." he whispers.

" I'm determined." I correct him.

" It's suicidal." he looks up at me.

" More like a challenge." I smile back to him.

He shakes his head and rubs his temples. " What if this doesn't work? Do you even know the consequences for doing something like this? You're on your own Lina. I want no part of this at all." he stands up and walks towards the exit, and I follow him. I try to slow him down by hanging onto the back of his shirt, but he just ends up dragging me with him.

" Please, you're the only person I know that could actually help support this idea... You owe me!" Rob stops dead in his tracks when I say those last words, and he turns back around to face me. He has a pained face, and he looks away from me.

" I am so going to regret this..." he whispers. My lips quickly curl into a smile, and I noogie him on the head.

" But it won't be easy!" he breaks off my headlock, and noogies me back. " What are you aiming for?"

I think for a moment, and I have no idea what I want to do. The point is to get into a men's team, preferably the best. I'm deep in thought, and suddenly, it hits me.

" Euro! Euro 2012! We're hosting it that year, and that's what I'm aiming for!" Rob's despair clearly shows on his face.

" You're psychotic if you think you'll make it. Nevertheless, I'll back you up. But, for now, I'm going to Germany. Let's see if you make it out alive." he laughs.

" Deal!" I stretch my hand out to shake his, but when he grabs my hand, he pulls me into a tight hug.

" Good luck." he taps me on the back.

" Yeah, you too." I whisper. We break off the hug, and I watch Lewy walk away from me. But before he's out of sight, I scream," You'll see! I'll train everyday! I won't give up! And I'll bring Poland to victory at the Euro!"

He turns around, and from a distance, I see him smile, and he waves back at me. He finally disappears into the night.

Then, I notice something.

It stopped raining.


	2. Chapter 2: Kacper Parys

A year and a half has passed since Lewy left for Germany. I trained every day, because I was determined to keep my promise to him. Recently, I joined a club, a very small one, but important enough to be considered by Poland's team coach for the Euro, Franciszek Smuda. I wore a black wig to practice to cover up my long light brown hair. I had to wear two bandages over my chest, to make sure it wasn't noticeable. I deepened my voice when I was supposed to talk, but other than that, I kept quiet. The day I joined the club, I was known as Kacper Parys. My parents didn't know about this, no one did.

Today is the day Smuda comes by our practice to see if there are any recruits, and we are currently 6 months away from Euro 2012. I'm nervous as hell, because this is my only chance in getting into the Euro team. The club is divided into two teams: one team has yellow jerseys on, while the other has red ones. I am in the striker's position, just like I always have because of my sprinting skills and ball coordination. I step onto the field and get into my spot, I wait for the whistle to blow. I notice Smuda has already arrived, and he's getting ready to watch our match.

The whistle blows, and I dart off towards the goal.

" Great job guys!" our coach shouted. " Coach Smuda will give us the results in just a few minutes, but for now, hit the showers." the boys quickly take off their clothes and go wash themselves, but I stay behind since it is clearly impossible for me. I make sure no one is left in the changing room, and I quickly swap clothes myself.

After a few minutes, the guys are all freshened up, whereas I just dunked some deoderant on myself. The door to the changing room suddenly opens, and everyone straightens themselves. We all stare at the door eagerly, though we are disappointed with the outcome. Our coach comes in, with a neutral looking face, and stands in front of all of us.

" You guys played amazingly today, but unfortunately, no one made it. I'll see you guys next week." he says and leaves.

A deafening silence falls between us, and the quiet is broken when one of the guys punches a locker. Everyone is sad and tired, and we all end up going home with heavy hearts.

Three months have passed since Smuda left without any recruits from our team. A few days ago, I decided to quit the team, since there is no point in continuing. I haven't had any contact with Lewy, but I bet that with his talent, he'll be on the Euro team.

I wait until everyone has left the locker rooms, and that's my opportunity to wash up. I grab my shampoo and soap out of my bag, and I take off my short black wig. I sigh and think that this will be the last time that I'll ever need it.

I put my bag back into my locker and grab a towel. I walk towards the showers, but the sound of a door makes me jump, and I don't know what to do.

" Hello? Is there someone here called Parys?" My eyes widen, and I deepen my voice, but it slightly cracks. " Y-Yes?"

" Oh, good." the door closes, and I hear footsteps coming towards me. Only problem is, I forgot the wig in my bag. I quickly wrap my hair up and tie my towel around it, making sure that not even one strand of my brown hair is visible.

I am surprised when I recognise the man to be coach Smuda. When he sees me, a smile appears on his face.

" Good news." he says. " Well, not really, anyways, two members of the initial team were injured recently, making them unable to play. I'm missing a striker, think you're capable of filling in the spot?"

My heart stops at his words. _He's asking me if I want to be a striker_. I open my mouth, but no words come out of it.

Smuda laughs. " I'm guessing that's a yes. Practice starts in 3 days at the Warsaw outdoor soccer field, I'm expecting you to be there." and he leaves.

The towel on my head falls to the ground, letting my long hair un-twirl itself. I think, I'm the first girl to make it on the men's national team.

That same day, I ran to the convenience store to buy black hair dye, and I also visited a wig store to buy a long brown one to put on when I'm around my parents and friends. I came home and locked myself in the bathroom, spent hours cutting and dyeing my hair until it was perfect.

Three days pass like a breeze, and I am the first to arrive at the field. I wait on the bench, and I notice people are starting to come in, one by one or in groups. My heart is racing at a thousand miles an hour, and I decide to stay put on the bench and just observe the guys. No one seems to notice me, but either way I'm quite reserved and I hate to be the one that starts a conversation. The coach finally calls us up, and we all rush to form a line in front of him. I place myself at the end of it, and I listen to the coach calling out some names. When my name comes up, I shout that I'm here, and eyes are on me. I feel a bit embarassed, but the coach continues down that list of his.

" Wait... Where's 9-?" the coach asks but is interrupted by someone.

" I'm here, I'm here!" a voice says. I stick my head out to see who arrived at the other end of the line, and my breath falls short.

It's Lewy.

A curse word escapes my lips. _He never told me about this_, I think.

"Alright then." Smuda's words snap me back to reality. " Among the substitutes, we have some fresh meat. Please be nice to our newest recruit, Kacper Parys." I smile weakly, trying to hide my pissed off face.

" Anyways, let's get going!"

And just like that, we trained all day. First we stretched out every muscle in our body, I got leg cramps like I've never gotten before. The coach made us run 10 laps around the stadium, I tried to keep up as much as I could. Though, I'm better at sprinting than endurance. The team was separated into 2 groups, and we played against each other. It was my chance to prove myself, and I gave it my all.

We hit the showers at the end of the day. I'm sweating, dirty as hell, and Lewy didn't even recognise me or pay attention.

I walk over to my locker and grab my stuff. That's when I notice Lewy come in, and I sprint towards him, grab him by the shirt and drag him back out.

" Hey! What the hell is wrong with you? Let go of me-"

" Oh shut up you big baby, it's me!" I scream at him, far away from the locker room. He stares at me for a moment, and his eyes widen.

" Lina...?" he whispers.

" It's Kacper now. Well, if you didn't recognise me, then I think I'm good." I say with a mocking smile. He looks at with an incredulous face. " Is that... Is that your real hair...?" he asks while touching it, and I slap his hand away.

" It takes a while for my hair to look perfect, so stop messing it! Anyways, I need to wait until everyone is out to shower and change, plus I need to put the wig on-"

" Wig? What wig?" Lewy cuts me off.

" I put on a wig at home, so that if I ever appear on tv, my parents don't recognise me. You should go, I'll see you around." I shoo him off, but he's still standing there.

" But, the guys will leave in about an hour, and if you're still getting changed and stuff that will be another hour... And you live 2 hours from here. You'll get home at 1 in the morning!"

I didn't really think about that. " It's fine, I mean, I'll get home at some point right? I just need to catch the bus, then the train-"

" You mean you don't have a car?" he shouts at me.

" Well, I'm not exactly as rich as you, so no, I don't have one." I retort. Suddenly, one of the guys runs out of the locker room, only wearing a towel around his waist. Lewy lets out a small whimper and quickly covers my eyes.

" Lewy, I'm a dude now. You're acting like a chick." I scoff. He embarrassingly takes his hand off of my eyes.

" Hey, Lewy! Can I borrow your shampoo?" the man in the towel screamed out. Rob nodded and turned towards me. " I hope you're going to be ok in a room full of naked men..." he whispers.

I laugh at his words. " Just go already, I'll wait out here until everyone is gone." he takes one last reassuring look at me, and jogs back to the changing rooms. I sit on a bench, and wait as time passes by.

After the guys left, I quickly went to change and shower as well. I look out the door to make sure no one's there, and I put my wig on. I walk outside, and I get the scare of my life.

" I almost forgot you had brown hair."

I quickly turn around, my heart stuck in my throat. But, I am relieved to see Lewy leaning on the wall.

" You waited for me?" I ask him.

He nods. " I thought I might as well just accompany you to the station. Plus, who knows who's lurking around at this hour."

He was right, it was already dark, and I had to walk for a good 30 minutes to get to the train station.

" But I'll be fine by myself, you know I can beat someone up if I want to." I sigh.

" Oh, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about me. You'd be a great bodyguard." I punch him lightly on the arm, and we laugh.

" Let's go." I say, and we start walking.

Soon, we approached the station, and Lewy and I were walking in silence for the last few miles.

" Hey..." Lewy breaks the silence. " I was thinking, since you live so far, and I live here in Warsaw, maybe you could...?" he trailed off. " Well of course you don't have to, it's your choice, I'm just saying that you would be a lot closer to the training grounds."

" I can't move here, I don't have enough money for an apartment in the capital! And, what would my parents say? What good excuse could I possibly give them?" I say.

" But, I never said that you should buy an apartment. I meant... Come live with me?"

My eyes widen. " Did you get a soccer ball to the head or something?" I rub his head to check if there are any bumps, but he looks fine.

" I'm serious, plus, it will help you too. You won't have such a long commute day and night, you won't have to hide in front of your parents anymore because you won't be seeing them as often. Or, you can just rent out an apartment and have to work part-time somewhere to pay it off."

I think for a moment, and I come to a conclusion that he is right, but I am still hesitant.

" And if I say yes-"

" You would need to move in tomorrow." he cuts me off.

" Tomorrow? But that's so soon! They would never agree..."

" Don't worry, I'll think about it. There is a solution to everything... I guess this is goodbye." we finally arrive at the station and I have to sprint to the train that's about to leave. I stare out the window, and I see Lewy waving back to me. The train departs, and my long ride home starts.

But a question ponders in my head... How will I convince my parents to move out tomorrow?


	3. Chapter 3: Let Her Go

My parents went out of the house in the morning, so I spent the whole day packing up my stuff. I didn't hear from Lewy ever since we parted ways at the train station. I hope he has a plan, because for now, I'm considering just running away and leaving a note.

I finish packing all of the essential stuff rather quickly. I packed up barely any girl clothes, mostly undergarments and stuff like that. I brought my laptop and a few electronics along, some other essential stuff, and that's pretty much it. Everything is packed up and ready to go in two suitcases. I drag them downstairs and put them next to the doorway, and decide to make dinner for the whole family to maybe ease the situation a bit. Though, I know it's futile, because my parents would be opposed to the idea of me moving out since they want me as close as possible to home. But still, there's no harm in having positive thoughts.

I start cooking dinner, but then I remember that I burn water. My dad has always been the cook in the family, thus making me have no necessity in practicing the culinary arts. I end up calling a restaurant, and asking them to bring take out over to the house. In maybe an hour or so, a delivery-man appears at my front door step with the food. I pay him, and close the door in his face, rushing to the kitchen to make it seem like I spent hours cooking dinner.

The sound of the door slamming makes me jump and almost drop a plate. I tilt my head slightly to the left to see who came in, and I see a tired figure in the doorway, taking off his shoes. It's my Dad, and he looks completely worn out. He takes his light brown coat off and hangs it, then passes by the kitchen, and his face lights up like nothing happened.

" You're home early!" he exclaims. I let out a nervous laugh and place the food on the table. He approaches me, and brings me into a tight hug.

" I see right through you! You _ordered_ the food didn't you?" he laughs. I stare at him, amazed at the fact that he found out so quickly.

" H-How did you know?" I scream, and he starts to laugh again.

" You can never fool a chef, sweetheart, my cooking senses tell me these things..."

" You're making it up!" I playfully tap him on the arm.

" And, you forgot to hide the take out boxes." I turn around and I see the boxes on the counter, and I slap myself on the face. I ask my dad if my mom and sister are going to come soon, but he shakes his head and says that they both went to some extravagant restaurant with Emma's fiancé. I start to get very angry at them, because I bought all of this food for nothing. But my Dad reassures me, of course, saying that we will finish it together. I sigh, and we both sit down at the table and start to eat. I'm happy that my dad isn't picky about his food, and he's happy with practically anything when it's fresh and looks edible.

Half way through our meal, my mother and sister show up, but my Father and I actually ignore them and continue talking about soccer.

" We came in, you know?" I hear my sister snap at us. I glance at her and scoff.

" Do you want me to roll out a red carpet and ask a whole orchestra to make a ceremony out of it?" I retort.

My sister raises her hand at me, but my mother screams at us to cut it out, and Emma sits on the opposite side of me, kicking me under the table. I would too, but then I would be the one that would get into trouble, so I ignore her childish action.

My Father and I finish eating, and I serve everyone desert. This is my chance.

" Um... Dad? I've been meaning to tell you something..." I start. My Dad raises his head from the bowl full of ice cream, and looks at me with tired eyes.

" I just wanted to say that-"

" Oh my goodness, mom, have you seen the cake we picked out? Isn't it gorgeous?" my sister exclaims, and cuts me off.

I glare at Emma. " I was talking." I say with a firm voice.

" You didn't send the invitations yet, did you?" she completely ignores me.

" No, but I was going to send them tomorrow... Why? Did you add anyone else to the list of guests?" my mom asks.

" Yes, I added about 10 more people-"

" WILL YOU PEOPLE SHUT UP FOR 2 MINUTES?" I explode. " For once this is about me, not Emma!"

" Look who's talking, you stupid little-"

" EMMA!" My eyes widen at my father's voice. " Let your sister talk."

Emma sinks into the chair and starts picking at her food, I clear my throat out.

" I... I wanted to tell you guys that I'm moving out today-" My parents choke on their ice cream, my sister's spoon drops on the table. There's an awkward silence, and suddenly, my mother speaks.

" Out of the question! Adelina, are you out of your mind? And where will you go might I ask?" I lower my head, because I can't tell them that I'm going to go live with a _guy_. My chance slowly slips away, and I stare at my hands absent mindedly as my mother lectures me about my stupid idea.

But then, my head shoots up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. But as I'm about to get up to answer it, my mother yells at me to sit back down and tells my sister to get it. I reluctantly flop on the chair and bite my lower lip, and stare back at my hands.

" Oh dear me!" my mother's voice suddenly turns high pitch, and I raise my head. I notice the last person I'm expecting in the door frame.

" Robert! What a pleasure to see you again, especially in this house! But, excuse me for my bluntness, what are you doing here?"

While everyone is staring at Lewy, I'm giving him sign language, asking him what the hell he's doing here.

" Uh, I came to help Lina with the move." he says simply. I make a sign for him to stop talking, but my sister just has to butt in.

" Help her move? Why would you go out of your way to help her?" she asks him, looking quite annoyed for some reason.

" She didn't tell you?" At that moment, I get up and run my thumb across my neck, clearly indicating that he should shut up, but he ignores me. " Lina's moving in with _me_." My whole family gasps, and I hit myself in the face. Lewy suddenly starts walking towards me, and puts his arm around my waist. I stare at him as if I was going to murder him in three seconds.

" I don't think she told you, but we've been in a relationship for a few months now, and we decided that it would be better if she came to live with me in Warsaw, because it would be closer to her new work-"

" Work?" my mother shouts. " Since when do you have a job?" I can feel Lewy pinching my waist, and I jump a bit from the shock.

" I- Um... I g-got a job at a.. Uh... At... A computer agency! Yeah, that's right..."

My mother starts lecturing us again, on how we're " moving too fast with our relationship" and all bunch of crap like that. Until finally, my Dad steps in.

" Let her go." he says quietly. We all turn towards him, and he stares back at my mother. " If she stays here she won't have a good life, and plus, I trust Robert to keep her safe... Though I'm surprised you didn't mention him to us sooner..." he glares at me, and I let out a nervous laugh.

" So you're just going to let her go?" my sister shouts. I raise an eyebrow at her, and say, " It's not like you'll miss me or anything, you ignore me either way. So, me leaving might even benefit you."

" Just..." my Dad starts. " Promise me you'll come visit at least _once_ a year." he jokes. I smile sympathetically, and I walk towards him to kiss him goodbye. I help Lewy drag my luggage out the door, and we get into his car. I stare back at my house and family, but for some reason, I will miss _everyone_, and not just my _Father_. Lewy starts the engine, and he slowly drives off, and as soon as he turns around the corner and we are out of my family's sight, I punch Lewy in the arm.

" Hey! Watch it, I'm driving here!" he shouts at me.

" It was an amazing plan, but next time, you need to warn me!" I punch him again. " And what about you putting your hand on my waist?"

" I had to make it believable! I was about to kiss you, but then I told myself that I didn't want to die, so I settled with the waist."

I could feel my face go completely red of embarrassment. " Damn right you were about not kissing me!"

He laughs. It takes us two hours to get to his house in Warsaw. He has a beautiful home, modern and cozy. He leads me upstairs to my room, which is down the hall from his. I enter my new bedroom, the walls are painted white, there's a bed, a dresser, a mirror and a closet. It's good enough for me.

I tell Lewy to place my luggage down on the floor, and I make him leave my room so that I can change into my pyjamas. After I'm done, I jump into my bed, and I fall sound asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Do You Remember Her?

" H-Hey... Wake up..." My eyes flutter open, and I see Lewy hovering over me. I straighten myself up and rub my eyes.

" Come on, we have practice in about 30 minutes."

" WHAT?" I roll out of bed and fall to the ground, bumping my head on my dresser. I swear at it and scramble to get up, and I run to the bathroom.

Once I'm done, I run downstairs, naturally almost falling every second or third step, and I sort of safely make it to the kitchen and grab something to eat.

I'm done in about two or three minutes and I join Lewy at the front door. He stares up and down at me, then raises an eyebrow.

" Didn't you wear that last practice?" he asks.

I look at the clothes I'm wearing, and he's right. " These are the only guy clothes I have- We're going to be late now, out we go, come on!" I shout and push him out.

" You're a bunch of girls!" A shiver goes down my spine and I could feel drops of sweat falling down from my forehead, mostly because we've been in intensive training for the past 4 hours.

I finally learn everyone's names. I remember that the guy that came out running with only a towel around his waist asking Lewy for some shampoo was actually Jakub Blaszczykowski, or Kuba for short, the team captain. There was also Piszczek, Perquis, Boenisch, Szczesny... Too many people to name them all.

Anyways, the coach didn't let us rest, I'm very dizzy from the heat wave. I could see Lewy glance at me worriedly from time to time, but I just wave my hand trying to tell him I'm fine. But who am I kidding. At this rate, I'm falling behind everyone.

Once the sun is beginning to set, Smuda tells us to hit the showers. Of course, I wait until everyone is out to freshen up.

I'm done in a few minutes. I don't have to change back into my girl clothes since I don't have to go home to my parents anymore. As I get out, I notice Lewy waiting for me again.

" You know, I can find my way back to the house on my own." I say to him with a sigh. He grabs my hand and starts dragging me towards his car.

But as we drive off into the street, I notice we're going an entirely different way.

" Um, dude, the house is that way." I say and point to the back. He nods but doesn't say anything. I hit him on the arm.

" How many times must I tell you not to hit me while I'm driving!" he screams at me.

" And I'll keep doing that until you give me an answer! Where are we going?" I ask.

" We're going shopping for guy clothes."

What.

"If the guys notice that you've been wearing the same clothes over and over again, they will know something is up, let alone be disgusted." he says. " I would gladly lend you some of mine, but I'm afraid that they might notice, and I'm a little bigger than you so you'd probably hurt yourself just by walking." I sink into the seat and stare at him.

" But, I don't have enough money to buy a lot of clothing, and I'm telling you I'm fine with the clothes I have." I retort, and he scoffs at my words.

Lewy drives to the nearest shopping mall, and we get out in a hurry. Clearly Lewy doesn't want to take too long.

" After this, the guys are going to the bar for a few drinks. And we are going because I want you to get closer to them, and I don't want you sitting in front of the TV all night." he says while looking at some shirts. " Why do you have to be so small?" he whispers.

" Last time I checked, I'm still a girl." I whisper back and he chuckles. " Either way, I'll be sitting with a beer in my hand, probably also in front of the TV."

We spend about two hours at the mall, and Lewy bought me a whole wardrobe of guy clothes, and I thanked him, a little bit against my will since I didn't want him spending any money on me.

Lewy shoved the bags into the trunk, and we drove off towards the bar.

I'm sitting on the edge of a big concrete wall, staring at the city. In the back of me is the bar, and I can hear the guys singing and laughing their asses off. I roll my eyes, because it's just not my kind of crowd. I guess it's because they're guys, and I don't plan on getting closer to them anyways even though Lewy wants me to since I don't want anyone finding out about me. I'd probably want to beat them up either way.

I sigh and glance at the beer I'm holding, and I shrug. Why did Lewy drag me here again?

Suddenly, I hear a door close behind me. I ignore who it is, and just go back to how I'm going to torture Lewy after we get home. But my thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice.

" Mind if I sit here?" I look up and I notice Kuba towering over me. My eyes widen and I give him a sign that he can sit beside me, and he does. He lets out a happy sigh and stares off into the lights of the city, drinking the beer that he has.

Why is he here? What does he want from me? Oh god, did he find out about my secret?

" So, Kacper, never really heard of you before... Are you from abroad? Parys isn't really a Polish last name..."

I almost choke on the beer I'm drinking, and I clear my throat out. With a hoarse voice, I say, " I... I was born in France actually, my Father is French and my mother is Polish, then a few years back I uh... I came here!" I let out a nervous laugh, then I mentally kick myself.

" Ah, so you know how to speak in French? I learned a few words myself... Comment, uh, ça va?" My eyes widen at his words, because I swear he's talking gibberish to me. I try to remember some words from the French cooking shows my dad used to watch, and I say, " Uh, spatule fromage vin pate ramasser mélanger gouter raisin cuillère." He gives me a weird look and starts laughing, only, at me.

" I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded French..." he continues to laugh. I let out a sigh of relief and I thank God that he didn't understand.

We spend the evening talking about soccer mostly, and how the guys are being noisy at the bar. It's actually kind of, _fun_.

But a question ponders in my mind. I actually read an article about Kuba a few years ago, but I only remember a part of it, something about him almost quitting soccer? My curiosity is getting the better of me.

" Why did you almost quit?" I ask very bluntly and suddenly. He takes a sip of his beer, and it looks like he has difficulty swallowing. He takes a deep breath and tells me his heartbreaking story.

" When..." for a few seconds, I can see his lower lip quiver. " I was 11 years old, I watched my mother get murdered in front of my eyes by my own father." I feel my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. I didn't know, I never meant to ask him such a sensitive question. Suddenly, I have a very queasy feeling.

" I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

He lets out a sigh. " It's alright, I can't undo the past. I got depressed, and I wanted to quit. My uncle was the one that told me to keep on going, and somehow, I made it through." Even after his heart wrenching story, he still manages to smile at me. " You know, I dedicate every goal to my Mom. I really do feel like she's watching over me, wherever she is."

I bite the inside of the cheek. I never knew he went through so much, and yet, he can still stand tall with a big smile.

" You know..." I start, " Death leaves a heartache that time will heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." I let out a small laugh. " It's just a saying I've been living by ever since my uncle died." I give him a tap on the shoulder, to show my manliness of course, and I decide to leave him alone. I get up and walk towards the bar, screaming for Lewy to hurry up and get my ass back home before I kick his.

_But what Adelina didn't know, was that what she had said to Kuba had sparked a distant memory of his. He thought for a moment, with a confused and puzzled look on his face. Lina's words echoed in his head._

_It couldn't be true... Could it? he thought. _

_Impossible._


	5. Chapter 5: Angry Chipmunk

" Parys! Come see me after practice!" I hear the coach scream at me. I collapse on the grass to catch my breath, and I swear I can see every single star in broad daylight. We've been training nonstop again, and the weather feels like the apocalypse is upon us.

" Get up before someone sees you." I hear Lewy snap at me.

" Hey, why is Jupiter so darn close today?" I ask with a tired voice. Lewy scoffs and grabs my arm to pick me up. I stumble left and right before he catches me.

" You don't look so good, maybe you should rest..." he whispers.

" I'm f-fine." I say in reluctance. " It's just a bit hot today, that's all... Wait, since when did you grow a beard?"

" That's it." Suddenly, I don't feel the ground under my feet anymore, and the blood is rushing to my head. Lewy has flung me over his shoulder, and he's carrying me God knows where. I decide to close my eyes just for a little while.

I feel the ground again. I open my eyes, but I am puzzled by the shower head in front of my eyes. And suddenly, I am sprayed by ice cold water in the face. I start jumping all over the place, fully awake. I start to scream for the person to stop. I wipe the water away from my eyes and notice Lewy with this huge grin on his face.

" I. Will. Kill. You." I say through gritted teeth, and I lunge myself towards him. But, I forget that the floor is wet, and I slip.

Lewy moves out of the way as if to mock me, and I'm going at lightning speed towards the wall.

" Look out!" Lewy screams. I notice Kuba passing by, and I'm heading straight for him. He sees me and his eyes widen, but it's too late. I crash into him, unbalancing both of us. He falls to the floor, and I land right on top of him. I look up and notice Kuba's face inches from mine. Our eyes meet for a moment, and for a split second I notice Kuba's cheeks go pink. I get up in a flash and apologise to him. I help him up, and he rubs the back of his head. Lewy is bent in two from laughing so much. I glare at him and I'm about to go and kick him when Kuba interrupts my plan.

" What were you guys doing here?" Kuba asks. I look at Lewy and raise an eyebrow indicating that he should explain.

" Li- Uh, I sprayed Kacper with cold water to wake him up a bit. Though, him almost killing himself and another person was not planned." Lewy tries to suppress his laughter. Kuba looks at us with an incredulous face, and sighs.

" The team is putting away the equipment, Robert, I'm expecting you to help out. And you..." he looks at me. " The coach wants to talk to you." he says and leaves with Lewy. I drag myself all the way to Smuda's office.

I knock at the door and enter, Smuda is looking at some important looking papers, and after a moment, he notices me and puts everything away.

" Do you know why I called you here, Parys?" he asks while getting up. My eyes widen. He didn't find out, did he?

" You're falling behind everyone. I saw you today, you were practically unconscious on the field. You can't go on like this. Clean up your act, or else you're off the team. I know a lot other guys that would kill for your spot, and you're not showing any effort. You can go now." he sits back on his chair and takes out the papers again. I leave his office with a dazed face.

I'm off the team if I don't keep up? I can't let that happen. I came this far, and the Euro is about two and a half months away. I can't give up now. Now then, what should I do...?

I am so deep in thought, that I don't even see that there is a person in front of me, and I bump into them. I rub my squished nose, and I am not in the mood to apologise so instead, I scream, " Hey! Watch where you're going! Do you have a death wish or wh-?" But then I notice how tall this person is. And it's Szczesny, one of our goal keepers, someone that doesn't look naturally happy to see you. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I slowly back away from him, as if he were a bear.

But I notice something. He looks a bit... Sad? Is it because I said something?

" Listen dude, I didn't mean what I said before, just had... A rough day..." I say to him.

" You too huh? Sigh, I really do hate it when I have family drama..."

" I don't think you have it as bad as me though... " I whisper.

" You've got family problems too?" he asks. Not exactly what I was talking about, but in a way he is right.

" Y-Yeah. Long story though." I say, " Anyways I-"

" I kind of need someone to hang out with to take my mind off of things... Have anything planned for today?"

" I uh-"

" Good, just let me go take a shower and we can go."

Once he leaves, I hit my head on the wall, because not only is he the first guy to ever ask me out on a date, but he has to do it when I'm pretending to be a guy. Just, perfect.

I don't want him to wait for me so I just drench myself in deodorant and cologne.

And before I know it, we are already ordering our food. Technically, they bring everything raw, and you need to cook it yourself on the hot plate in front of you. I've never been to a restaurant like this, I guess it's more for socialising while the food is cooking... No wonder I never came here, I'm anti-social and I burn water.

Actually, Szczesny has been doing all of the talking, and I'm just listening. The poor guy, his whole family is at war, only his Mom is supporting him. He really does resemble me in some way.

" By the way, why did you chose to be a goalie?" I ask him. He starts to laugh.

" You know how we all start out to see what we're best at? I made a total fool of myself. I was literally tripping over the ball. And, when my coach put me in the net, I was actually pretty good. Story of my career." he laughs again, and flips over the thin meat that's cooking. " So, any hot girl friends or sisters I should know about?"

I almost choke on the piece of meat I'm trying to swallow, and I take a huge gulp of water while tapping my chest.

" W-Well..." I think about it for a moment, which probably looks really dumb to him to think about having siblings or not. " Yeah I've got... A younger sister!"

" Is she hot?" he raises an eyebrow.

" Dude. She's my sister." I say bluntly.

" You're right you're right... Introduce me one day will ya?" he laughs.

We spend the whole evening talking about everything, as if we're two friends catching up. He's actually a really fun guy, despite how rigid he looks like on the outside... But I can see he's the type that loves to joke around and just have a fun time...

" Uh..." Szczesny looks a bit panicked and fixating on something on our table. I look down and I notice the piece of meat I was cooking caught on fire. I start to panic, and I quickly pick the piece up with my fork and throw it into my cold glass of water. We start laughing, and I stretch my hand to get the piece of cloth to wipe the charcoal away from the hot surface. Out of the blue, my hand meets Szczesny's and we awkwardly stare back at each other.

" S-Sorry..." I say. He takes his hand away for me to take the cloth.

" It's alright." he says, a bit embarrassed.

Suddenly, his face lights up, and he's looking in another direction. He waves to someone to come over, but I'm too uninterested to turn around.

" I see Szczesny was the one that kidnapped you." I turn around at the horribly familiar voice, and I notice Kuba standing next to our table. He looks at me, and says, " Lewy sent me here to pick you up, party is over."

" What do you mean Lewy sent you?" I scream at him, " Since when did he become my mom?"

" He just spent 2 hours looking for you all over town because you forgot to tell him where you're going!"

Oups.

" Not to mention he dragged us into looking for you too, until I saw Wojciech's twitter update and thank god I recognised the restaurant..."

" I'm not moving from here, I haven't had this much fun in a long time so-"

Kuba's phone rings and he picks up. He jerks his head away from the phone, and hands it to me with an annoyed look. I put the phone to my ear, and I jerk it away just like Kuba. It's Lewy, and he's screaming at me as if I committed a crime.

I put the phone as far away as possible, and he just sounds like an angry chipmunk. I roll my eyes and I hang up on him, handing the phone back to Kuba.

" Sorry Woj. If you ever have something on your mind, just tell me." I get up and walk behind Kuba towards the car, waving back at Szczesny.

We get into a black expensive looking car, and Kuba drives off. An awkward silence falls between us.

" Since when do you live with Lewy?" he finally asks me. I turn around and say, " Just a couple of days." I try to keep it brief.

" And, how do you know him?" he questions.

" Is this supposed to be an interrogation?" I snap at him, but I regret it immediately, because he has this lion-cub face and you just can't get mad at him like that. I sigh, " Childhood friend, I guess."

" Oh." he says simply.

I stare out of the window, the silence for me is too much. I would start a conversation, but how? I'm an awkwardly social potato.

" What you said to me the other night..." Kuba breaks the silence. " The thing about death and time and stolen memories... Where did you hear it from?"

" It... It was on my Uncle's gravestone. They were his final words to us."

An uneasy feeling washes over me, and I still remember that day. The rain, the people, the grave... And the little boy sitting near a tree. I wasn't lying about my uncle. He really did die when I was little, he was like my best friend. He was my father's older brother, and he was a cook like him as well. We had so much fun together, he rooted for me with my father at my soccer games. And then, he got sick...

" Those were great final words." Kuba says, bringing me back to reality. I nod in agreement.

The ride back home seems hours long, and we finally get there. I reluctantly thank Kuba and he drives off. I notice that the lights in the windows are off, and I guess, or more like pray that Lewy is already asleep.

I enter the house as quietly as I can, and close the door behind me. I tip toe over to the stairs...

" You sound like an elephant."

I get the scare of my life and I let out a shriek. I turn around and I notice Lewy leaning on the wall.

" Care to explain to me what were you doing at this hour?" he shouts at me.

" Oi, you're not my mom, since when do I have to obey your rules? Szczesny was nice enough to invite me for dinner so, I went."

" You know, the courtesy these days is to say where you're going."

" Sorry Ma, didn't know you cared so much." I start going up the stairs, and Lewy follows me.

" Of course I care! If something happened to you, your father would have my head!"

I scoff, and whisper," How was your day Adelina? You feeling okay after what happened on the field? How bout Smuda? What did he want to ask you about? Was your dinner nice? Thank you for asking Lewy, my day went horribly wrong, and I'm almost kicked off the team-"

" What? What do you mean kicked off the team?" Lewy grabs my arm and stops me from walking.

" Smuda told me that if I can't keep up with the team and show some progression, he's giving my spot to someone else." I say solemnly.

" So, that's it huh? You're going to go pack your bags up and just give up? You can't do that alright-"

" Lewy-"

"- not on my watch! I'll train with you everyday if I have to, you'll get better I promise-"

" Lewy-!"

" You came this far and you're not throwing away all of your hard work-"

" LEWY!" I scream. He finally shuts up. " I never said that I'm giving up." I smile evilly. " But, it's good that you said that you'd help me."

Lewy looks at me, dumbfounded. I smirk back at him, and walk towards my room. I flop on my bed, and I slowly drift off to sleep.

_While on the way back to his home, Kuba stopped on a bridge. He got out of the car and leaned on the rail while staring at the sky. It all made sense to him now. He knew he recognised Kacper from somewhere, especially when he said those things to him. _

_It all started to sink in. _

_On the day of his mother's funeral, there was a huge downpour, and he ran away from the grave because he didn't want anyone to see him crying, a brave little soldier. He sat down at the foot of a tree and cried. _

_Suddenly someone approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, and asked, " Why are you crying?" He looked up, and before him stood a little girl with a black dress and a black ribbon in her hair. She looked barely 5 years old._

_" Why would you care?" he shouted at her. The poor girl was frightened by his sudden uproar, and she began to have tears in her eyes._

_" I-I'm sorry..." the little boy whispered as he noticed what he had done. He wiped his tears away and patted her on the back. " What are you doing here?" he asked her. She smiled weakly at him. _

_" Daddy told me that Uncle Chris is in a better place now. We're saying goodbye to him..." she glances back to see if anyone is looking for her. _

_" Aren't you sad?" he asks her, incredulous by her behaviour. " Your uncle just died!"_

_The little girl shakes her head. " My uncle told me this: Death leaves a heartache that time will heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. My dad explained to me that I'll miss him a lot at first, and I'll learn to live with only a memory of him. But he's always going to be watching over us, like a little angel on our shoulders!"_

_He looked at her, a weird, nostalgic feeling surfacing up. The little girl stretched her hand out towards him and said, " Wanna go say goodbye to Uncle Chris with me?" He didn't protest, and he let her drag him all the way to her Uncle's grave. She stood in front of it, and with a smiling face she waved to the cold stone while saying, " Bye bye Uncle! I'll miss you!" _

_Kuba noticed her Uncle's words engraved on his gravestone. He waved to it just like the little girl._

_After that, he brought the little girl to his Mother's grave. She said a little prayer her father taught her, and she said goodbye the same way she did for her Uncle. _

_Kuba never saw her again after that._

_Until he met Kacper._

_And then, he knew, that Kacper is the same person as that little girl, but, why does she pretend to be a guy? Or has it been the other way around the whole time? Maybe Kacper is her brother? Kuba scratched his head._

_He needed to know, for some reason, it was eating him inside. He was planning on finding out soon, and he thought of the perfect way._

_His, or her, passport._


	6. Chapter 6: Simon

For the past three weeks, Lewy and I went to train after practice every day. There is a park nearby the house, and there are barely any people there if not none. Every day, the same routine. A race in the beginning, a race at the end. We repeat what we learned at practice before, and he makes me perfect it. By the end of every night, I'm worn out, and Lewy is practically dragging me back home.

But tonight, I can't take it anymore.

I drop and start rolling on the ground, unable to go on. My eyes are slowly dropping from exhaustion, and all of my muscles are in pain, even the ones I never knew I had.

" Come on, we're done for the night." Lewy says to me.

" Can't you just leave me here to spend the night?" I sigh.

" Now, what kind of a man would I be if I'd let a girl do that?"

" I'm a warrior." I laugh sheepishly.

" More like a yeti." I try to hit him, but it's just too painful for me.

" Climb on my back." he says suddenly. I look at him like he's about to hang off a bridge or something. I protest for about 10 minutes, saying that he won't be able to carry me that far, and that I'll break his spine. But before I know it, he's carrying me on his back, and we're on our way back home.

I rest my head on his shoulder, and normally I would be kicking him all the way back to the house for even thinking of picking me up, but I have no energy left. So instead, my grip tightens around his neck, and I get as comfortable as I can.

" I think this is the closest we've ever been, physically I mean." he whispers.

" Oh shut up." I laugh. I pause for a moment, because there has been something on my mind for a while now.

" Lewy...?"

" Hm?"

" Why are you helping me?" I ask. He slows down his pace, and he slightly turns his head towards me, our faces just a few inches apart.

" I owe you, remember?" he laughs. I remember that moment at the gym, when Lewy first came to see me after two years. That moment when he walked away and I screamed out of impulse that he owed me.

" So..." I begin. " Your debt will be paid once we win the Euro, right?" I ruffle his hair. He nods. " But..." there is hesitation in my voice. " What happens after that?"

He stays silent for a moment, then says, " How bout we worry about getting home in one piece, hm?" we laugh, but we both know there will be some changes.

Smuda gave us a week off, so Lewy and I have been training a little more loosely.

It's Friday night, and tomorrow we're back to work. I decide to take a shower.

I undress myself in my room, and wrap a towel around my torso. I get out of my room and walk to the end of the hallway to the bathroom and get into the shower.

Ten minutes pass, and I'm done. I stop the water and get out of the shower, but, I hear something weird. Almost like, more than just on voice coming from downstairs. I press my ear against the door, and I could hear them loud and clear.

Lewy, Szczesny, Kuba, and Piszczek are in the house.

I only have a towel.

I'm definitely screwed, since you can see the second floor from the living room. My room is on the other side of the hallway.

I decide to peek out, and I can see them sitting in the living room, laughing and drinking. I see Lewy, Szczesny, and Kuba's back. I can't risk trying to get out of the bathroom right now with them there. Instead, I call Lewy over.

" Uh, Lewy?!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I can hear someone run up the stairs and get close to the bathroom. I open the door and tell him to come in quickly. He looks up and down at me.

" Wow, uh... There must be a very good reason why you called me here while you're only in a towel." he says with big eyes. I kick him in the shin, and tell him to be quiet.

" I need you to get them to look or go somewhere else so that I can get to my room..." I whisper to him.

" I could just bring your clothes here..." he says. I shake my head, " Do you know where the bandage for my chest is? What if they notice you bringing girly underwear to the bathroom? My room is the safest place right no- Wait a second." I think for a moment, then hit him again. " This is all your fault! You never told me that they're coming!"

" This was all last minute!" he quietly shouts back. " Kuba just suddenly texted me saying that he's got some beer and team mates and he's in the neighborhood!"

I push him out the door, and whisper to him angrily for him to fix this. I close the door again and listen in to what's happening.

" Guys, how about... We go check out the new stereo system I installed in my car?" I hear Lewy faintly say. I slap myself in the face, but if it will get the guys to be out of the house long enough for me to get to my room, I don't care if he says he wants to show them the platypus teddy he bought... Well maybe I would...

I wait until I hear the door slam, and I sprint to my room. I slam the door behind me and quickly get into my guy clothes.

I come out, and the guys are sitting in the living room again. Szczesny sees me first, and a huge smile appears on his face, it's almost heartwarming. He invites me over, but there is no more room on the sofas, so I just sit on the arm of Szczesny's chair.

We talked, we drank, and that's all I remember before I blacked out.

_Here's what happened..._

_Lina and the guys started drinking, and a lot. Only, Lina has a low tolerance for alcohol, and she's drunk by the third bottle of beer. Unfortunately for her, she's the kissing type. _

_After the 4th bottle of beer, she took it to her head that she's some kind of soccer super star, and she was acting ridiculously. The guys didn't mind though, they were entertained, but Lewy clearly looked worried._

_" You know what, I don't even know what's Smuda's problem!" she shouted. " Clearly his pants are riding up his ass if he's picking on me." She turned her head towards Szczesny. " You know what, you're kind of... Good... Looking." And then, no one saw it coming. She placed her right hand in the back of Szczesny's neck, and pulled him into a kiss for a few seconds. _

" I did... What." Lewy told me what happened the night before. I'm never looking Szczesny with a straight face ever again. And our relationship was so chill... Curse my drunken habits!

Both of us walk towards the field, just going over what were supposed to do today. Smuda calls us up to warm up, then we begin the match against each other. I'm stuck with a red coloured shirt, Lewy with a white one. Kuba and Szczesny are on my team, Piszczek with Lewy.

The whistle blows, the white team starts with the ball.

I have the same position as Lewy, up front. I wait behind as the ball is getting juggled by the white team. Suddenly, the Red team is in possession, I dart towards the net. Lewy is at my neck, trying to intercept the ball from me. Somehow I manage a faint, and this is what I've been training for all of these weeks. I dart towards the goal, the ball comes at my feet. I manage to outrun Lewy, kind of sort of hitting him in the rib cage with my elbow at the same time, and I kick the ball.

For a moment, it's like the whole world suddenly becomes... Quiet. Everything goes into slow motion. The ball flies towards the goal, Tyton springs into the air with his arms extended.

He misses by an inch. I score.

The noise comes back, I get tackled by everyone in the red team. They ruffle my hair and congratulate me, even the white team.

I can see Smuda's smirk appear on his face, and I give him a smug look.

We resume our game, and the coach finally tells us to hit the showers once were done.

" I can see your progress..." Smuda says to me.

" Got to protect my position... You know." I almost growl at him.

" Alright alright, you're safe... For now."

He leaves me in peace, and I wait like always for the guys to finish up. When Lewy comes out, he says that he'll wait for me, that he doesn't want me going home by myself. I see Szczesny come out as well, but when we make eye contact he goes madly red in the face and quickly rushes away. I grimace a little, and step into the locker room. I check to see if there's anyone there, no one.

I take my shirt off and I almost die from the way I stink. I rearrange the bandage around my chest, and suddenly, I hear footsteps.

I freeze completely. _It's all over for me_, I think. I look around and I quickly put a new shirt on.

" Hello?" I scream out. " Is anyone there?" Footsteps again. I break into cold sweat, I hope no one saw me. I drop the idea of taking a shower and quickly grab my stuff. I walk towards the exit, and I step on something. It's a folded piece of paper. I pick it up and open it. My eyes widen in horror, and I stop breathing. It says:

_I know your secret._

I quickly rip the piece of paper apart, and run out of the locker room. I see Lewy, and clearly he notices the panic in my face. I run up to him, grab his shirt, and drag him all the way to the car. Once we're in it, I start breathing very heavily.

" S-... Somebody knows." Lewy stares at me with widened eyes. " I don't know who it is, I was careful Lewy I swear!" I start to kick the car, biting my lower lip.

" Hey! Stop killing my car it didn't do anything to you..." he whispers. " Now, are you sure they know?"

I hit him on the arm. " Of course I'm sure! Why would someone write a note saying that they know my secret and leave it in the locker room?!"

" Maybe it's just a coincidence..." he says, but I can hear the worry in his voice. " Maybe it was a fortune cookie."

I try to hit him again, but this time he catches my hand, and says, " You don't know for sure if someone knows, alright? There wasn't your name on that piece of paper, right? It wasn't destined to anyone, so you have nothing to worry about." I jerk my hand away from him. Maybe he's right. Maybe it really was a fortune cookie... But it's odd. It's all just too odd.

Lewy drives off into the street, and we drive home.

I can't sleep the whole night.

Only a month left to the Euro. If we're not spending all of our time practicing and training, we're doing promotional stuff. I have a very tight schedule, but the fact that someone knows about my secret still lurks around my mind.

I walk around the living room absent mindedly, going over my schedule. Lewy comes and joins me, and we go over what we're doing.

" Well, I just have the hospital visit today." I say. " The whole team has that."

" Yeah, and I've got an interview later on in the evening." he sighs. Poor guy, he has so much on his shoulders.

At about twelve in the afternoon, the shuttle bus came for us, and they briefed us on what we're going to do at the hospital. At first, we will visit as many patients as we can, then we will go somewhere and spend time with some kids.

We arrive at the hospital, and we go around the rooms taking pictures and signing autographs. I'm actually surprised by my popularity, especially with the women. Of course, the most popular guys are Lewy, Kuba and Piszczek.

After about three hours of going around the hospital, they bring us to a big room full of kids. They're all sitting in their beds with huge grins on their faces. They each tell us which kid we're supposed to spend some time with, and I'm paired up with a little boy named Simon. His bed is at the other side of the room, and I can see a very small and frail looking figure sitting on the bed. Only, he's not looking at us, but outside the window. I approach him, and sit down beside his bed.

" Hi..." I smile to him. He doesn't turn around and just keeps staring at the window. I shrug. " Do... You know who I am?" I point to myself. Still nothing. " Simon? Won't you talk to me?"

" Why should I?" he finally turns around. " You're only doing this for publicity. It's not like you care that some of us are dying."

I feel as if this little kid just stabbed me in the heart. It does look like it, but I want to clear things up with him.

" Do you really think I don't care if I came?" I ask him.

" You could be obligated to come." he retorts. For some reason, he resembles me an awful lot.

" Well, no. We all have a choice in these matters, and if I didn't want to come, I wouldn't have. But don't you think that I wouldn't be talking to you if I wouldn't want to be here?"

He looks down at his bed sheets for a moment, then quietly nods. I ruffle his hair and he smiles slightly.

" So, tell me Simon, who's your favourite player in our team?" I ask him. His cheeks go pink and he bites his lower lip. He shakes his head.

" What? You don't want to tell me?" I laugh. He reaches for something from under his covers, and he pulls out a jersey and a picture. He shows them to me, and my lips curl into a smile.

It's not me, but I don't care. I tell him to wait for a moment, and I get up and run past a few beds, and I finally get to the one where Kuba is. I grab his ear and whisper to him something. He starts to laugh, and then gets up. I look at the little girl he's paired up with and I smile at her, saying that I'm only stealing him for two minutes.

I drag Kuba all the way to where Simon is, and suddenly, the little boy's face lights up, and I can even see tears in his eyes. Kuba sits at my spot and starts to talk with Simon, and he signs his shirt and picture. I take a picture of him and Kuba, but unfortunately he has to leave to go back to the little girl he was with. I sit back down next to Simon, who has tears in his eyes.

" Why did you do that for me?" he asks. " I mean it wasn't even you, and yet you went to get him and brought him here... I didn't even ask you."

I laugh. " Something tells me that you would do the same for me... Plus, when are you going to get the chance to see him again, right?" That's when he starts to cry. I start to freak out and I look everywhere for a tissue. I finally find one and wipe his tears away. He whispers to me, " Thank you."

We talk endlessly about our lives. He asks me about my career, about my childhood. From time to time, I notice Lewy at the other end of the room, and I can't help but notice how good he is with kids. The way he laughs with that little girl, and tickles her and plays cards... For some reason, my heart rate is a bit high...

I see two fingers snap in front of my eyes and I turn back to Simon. He has this cute little grin plastered on his face.

" What?" I say.

" You've been staring at Mr. Lewandowski for quite some time now. Do you like him?" he wiggles his eyebrows.

" Pfft." I laugh. " Are you serious? I could never like that dumbass."

" Are you saying you like men?"

What am I supposed to answer him? I'm a girl, pretending to be a guy, so does that mean I need to pretend I like girls? I sigh. He's such a cute kid, innocent more or less.

" I'm going to tell you a secret now, and you need to swear to me on Mr. Blaszczykowski's soccer career that you won't tell a soul." He makes this cross motion over his heart, I give him a sign to come closer to me, and he does. I whisper into his ear, " I'm actually a girl."

He backs away from me, and looks up and down. He explodes in laughter.

" That's the best joke I've ever heard!" I look at him in all seriousness, and he just suddenly stops laughing. " Are you serious?" he whispers. I look around the room, and I slightly pull my shirt down to show him a little bit of the bandage around my chest. He stares at me with his eyes widened.

" Why?" he asks.

" Why not?" I say with a smile.

" But, you could be kicked out! They could suspend you, bring you to court!" he whispers loudly.

" I'm well aware of the consequences, that's why I'm counting on you to keep my secret, alright? Or else I tell Kuba that you broke a promise in the name of his career."

Simon runs his fingers across his lips, and pretends to lock them and throws the invisible key out the window.

" I'm counting on you, little buddy." A nurse suddenly comes in and tells us it's time to leave. I hug Simon goodbye, but before I leave his bed side, he opens his drawer. He takes out three things, a bracelet, and two pictures.

" I decided that whoever will come and visit me today, I'd give them this." He hands me the bracelet, and the picture. It's his, and I smile.

" Think you could sign this for me as well?" he asks and hands me the other picture. My eyes widen slightly, because it's me.

" I thought you didn't like me." I say mockingly. He blushes again, and says, " I never said that."

I laugh. " Well then, mind signing your picture for me?" we exchange pictures, sign them, then give them back. I also ask Simon to tie the bracelet around my wrist, and I finally get up.

I notice I'm the only one left, and Simon says to me, " You like him, right?" I smile back, and shake my head.

" You're the only man for me. Get well soon, alright?" I wink and leave.

I get out of the hospital and climb into the bus. I sit next to the window and I notice everyone waving outside their windows. I even notice Simon, and I wave back to him.

Lewy changes places and sits next to me.

" I saw that you had fun with him." he says to me. I nod, and he laughs. " The nurses were really surprised. They told me he barely talks, or shows emotions." Lewy gives me a thumbs up. " For a moment, you were able to change him."

I sink into my chair. The feeling of accomplishment is very mushy, and makes your toes curl a little.

" I'm glad." I whisper. I stare down at the bracelet, it's very nice. I don't usually wear jewelry, but I think this one is going to stay on my wrist for years to come.

Days pass just like usual. Every day we train together with the team, and we're looking forward to the Euro.

But, the day after our visit to the hospital, I got an unexpected surprise in my locker. At the end of the day, I waited for everyone to finish up. When I went to change, I opened my locker, and inside of it was a red rose.

I asked Lewy if it was him, more like beat him up because I thought it was him, but he swore to me it wasn't.

But if it wasn't him, then who?


	7. Chapter 7: Giving Up

" ARGH!"

I stomped into the house, throwing yet another Dark Crimson Rose into a glass vase with seven of them. For the past week I've been finding one every night in my locker.

" I think whoever is doing this is mocking me." I say to Lewy. He just laughs and goes to watch TV. I stare at the flowers, and I must admit that they are quite beautiful. Suddenly, I get an idea, and I take two of them and walk towards the front door.

" Where are you going?" Lewy asks. I sigh and say, " To visit my uncle."

" At this time?!" he shouts at me. Before he can say anything else, I walk out the door, and I notice it's raining. I put my hood over my head, and march towards the cemetery. It's about an hour walk, but I rather go alone than drag Lewy with me, and taking the bus would be a pain.

Even though my whole family lives in Lodz right now, my Father and Uncle grew up in Warsaw, and that's where my Uncle wanted to be buried. We usually visit him every Holiday, but since I'm already here, might as well go see him.

I finally get to the gate, and enter the creepy place. I've never liked cemeteries and I do my best to avoid them, but for my Uncle, I can swallow my fear.

After walking around almost endlessly, I finally find my Uncle's tombstone, and I start to clean it up. Once I'm done, I place the drenched rose onto his grave and say a prayer. I look up, and I read the words, _Death leaves a heartache that time will heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. _I bite my lower lip to suppress my tears, I miss him so much.

I walk away from my Uncle, and walk towards another grave. I place the other rose on the ground, and say another prayer. It's actually the grave of a lady I've never met. I guess it's become a tradition for me. I remember the day of my Uncle's funeral, a little boy brought me to this grave saying his mother passed away as well. I've been visiting her ever since. I wonder what she was like, who she could have been.

Suddenly, I hear a branch snap. I quickly turn around, my heart in my throat, and I see a shadow.

" Kacper?" I recognise the voice, and the person approaches me. It's Kuba.

" What are you doing here at this hour?" he asks me.

" I-I-I came to visit my uncle." I stutter. He points to the woman's grave, and says, " Is she one of your relatives too?" I glance at the tombstone, and shake my head.

" I don't know her, I just feel the need to visit her every time I visit my Uncle." I say. " Why are _you_ here?"

" Visiting my relatives as well..." he points further back. It's kind of awkward and weird seeing him here, and I think it would be best if I get home as soon as possible because Rob will be worried.

" Um, anyways I have to go, don't catch a cold, alright?" I say and walk back towards the gate.

_Adelina didn't know that Lewy actually followed her to make sure she was okay. He crept in the shadows, watching over her. When he noticed Kuba appear, he knew this was his chance. He waited for Lina to leave, and he ceased his opportunity._

_" Kind of late to be in a cemetery, don't you think?" Lewy said as he came out from the darkness. Kuba turned around abruptly, and gripped his heart._

_" Lewy, you scared me!" he shouted at him. " And, why-?!" _

_" I know it was you." Lewy finally said. Kuba's face suddenly became very rigid, and he stared at Lewy with cold eyes. " The roses in her locker. Why?"_

_Kuba scoffed. " How did you know?"_

_" That night you guys came over for a few drinks, when Kacper passed out, you went upstairs into his room. I followed you and I saw you find his passport and go through his drawers. You know her secret."_

_Kuba laughed. " I actually wanted to tell the coach about this, but then I started to remember who she is to me. And, she proved to be someone quite interesting."_

_Lewy suddenly grabbed Kuba by the collar. " Listen to me, I swear that if you tell anyone her secret or hurt her in any way, I'll make sure you won't see the daylight of tomorrow."_

_" Oooh, what's this? You care?" Kuba snickered. Lewy scoffed and let go of his collar. "What are you thinking? Helping her. You know what's going to happen if anyone else finds out, right?" _

_Lewy bit the inside of his cheek, and let out a heavy sigh. He knew exactly what he was talking about._

_" It won't last long, Robert, and you know that. Pray that Smuda finds out soon and that the consequences won't be as severe." Kuba started to walk away from him, but Lewy grabbed him by the arm._

_" You can't tell him! You can't tell anyone!" Lewy screamed. Kuba grabbed Lewy's arm in return. _

_" Then promise me this," Kuba started, " you can't tell her that I know about her secret."_

_" Listen to me, she's been tossing and turning at night wondering who could possibly know her secret and ruin all of this for her! Now that I know for sure that it's you, she needs to know."_

_" Alright then, I think Smuda will be quite curious to hear what I've got to say about the real Kacper Parys." Kuba jerked his arm away._

_" This isn't like you Kuba!" Lewy screamed. " Why are you doing this!?"_

_" Because I want to save her before her situation gets worse!" he screamed back. " You're not the only one who has learned to care for her, and think about what kind of reputation the National Team will get after the whole country, maybe the whole world, will find out!"_

_" Fine then! I won't tell her you know, but you better keep your end of the bargain." Lewy hissed at Kuba. _

_" Deal." he stretched his hand out, and they shook hands. They both turned around and went their separate ways, but before disappearing completely, he turned back and screamed, " Why roses?!"_

_Kuba chuckled. " They're a girl's weakness."_

_Lewy got into his car, and he started punching the steering wheel. How could he be so careless? How could he let Lina get into this mess? He started the engine, and drove off. He came home 5 minutes before Adelina did, and he tried to make it seem like he was home all along._

I wake up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. I look outside the window and it's raining a lot harder than yesterday. I sigh and try to get out of bed, but it feels like a ton of bricks came crashing down my head. I whimper and crawl back into bed. I notice that it's very cold in the house, or is it just me?

" Lewy!" My voice cracks as I call out his name. I can hear him come up the stairs, and he knocks at my door before he opens it.

" Lewy..." I sneeze. " I think I'm sick." He walks over to my bed, and puts his hand on my forehead.

" You're burning up." he whispers. " I'll go get you some blankets, medicine, and a hot towel."

After a few minutes, Lewy comes back with what he promised me. He gives me the medicine, then covers me with the blankets. He puts the hot towel on my forehead, and he sits down next to my bed.

" What were you thinking, going out in the rain like that?" he whispers. I sneeze again.

" Thought it would be a good idea to go see my uncle... Why is it so cold in here?" I ask.

" It's almost 24 degrees in the house, you just have a fever." he sighs. " Well, I have practice today, I'll tell them you're too sick to even get out of bed, and don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, alright?"

I smile greasily at him, " You know me, I'll probably burn the house down."

He rolls his eyes and ruffles my hair before leaving. I end up falling asleep.

" Sh you'll wake him up!"

" He's bound to open his eyes sooner or later, he's been asleep for 9 hours!"

" I said be quiet!"

My eyes slowly open, but everything is blurry for a few seconds. I see three figures around my bed, and I'm beyond confused.

" Did I die and go to heaven?" I whisper.

" Haha, so now we're your angels?" I recognise Kuba's voice, and I want to go and hit him, but I end up falling off of the bed. Luckily, he catches me, and puts me back up. I rub my eyes and notice Piszczu and Lewy here as well.

" What are you guys doing here?" I ask in a tired voice. They laugh, and Lewy explains to me that the guys wanted to come and pay me a visit, also to explain to me the new tactics they learned at practice today. I let out a weak laugh, and only half-listen to what Piszczek is telling me. He gives up, because he can see that I'm barely awake. We end up playing cards instead.

It's getting late, and the guys decide that it's time to go. Lewy sees them to the door, and Kuba leaves a small teddy bear behind with a "Get Well Soon" sign and a bouquet of roses, and I find it very sweet of him.

_What is the matter with me, _Ithink_, I'm going soft and my mind is completely upside down from this cold._

I try to get cozy under the covers, but I'm constantly freezing.

" Robert!" I call out. He comes back and sticks his head into my room.

" Blanket." I cough out.

" But we don't have any more..." he says. " The last one I gave you was mine."

" Bring the heater then." I whisper.

" It's summer you mushroom, the heater is stored away somewhere and I am not making it hotter than it already is..." He sighs.

He walks towards me, hops onto the bed and makes me put his shirt on, and then gets comfortable. Just when I'm about to push him off, he wraps his arms around my shoulders and presses his body against mine.

" Lewy, please tell me you have a good reason for being half naked in my bed." I mutter.

" It's either this or you'll be complaining that your ass is getting frost bite, hm?" he puts his cheek on my head, and lets out a sigh. He's lucky I don't have any strength, because I would have pushed him off the stairs by now.

But for some reason, a part of me, _doesn't mind it_.

The morning comes, my eyes flutter open. Lewy still has his arms wrapped around me, and he is sound asleep. I slowly squirm out of his grasp and get out of bed. My fever has gone down a bit, and I have a bit more strength than before. I get dressed and walk out of my room, walk into the kitchen, prepare breakfast and take my medication. I know it's a bad idea to go out in my physical state, but I won't get the chance any time soon. I dig out a scarf and a sweater, and I walk out the door, leaving a note next to Lewy's un-burnt breakfast.

I walk towards the Old Town Market Place, about a 45 minute walk from the house. It's a bit windy outside, and I'm hoping my cold doesn't get worse.

I finally get to the Square, and it's packed with people. I walk towards one of the sweets shops, and I buy a bag full of candy and chocolate. That's Rob's weakness, sweets. I walk over to a cafe, where they sell drinkable chocolate, and I buy two cups, one filled with milk chocolate, and one with white chocolate. It's the least I can do to thank him in my own way for taking care of me.

I hang around the square for a bit, just watching people pass by. My family comes to mind, and I start to feel guilty for not calling my father. I reach into my pocket and find my phone that I never turn on. It miraculously lights up, despite the long while it's been asleep. The first thing I notice is the time, and I don't even bother to check if I have any new messages because it's almost lunch time. I slip the phone back into my pocket, and I walk back home hurriedly.

After the long walk, I finally come home. But, no one's there. I walk into the kitchen, and I find my note, and on it is written in a different colour pen: _Thanks for the breakfast, Smuda called, I'll be back later on tonight. Take care._

I roll my eyes. Wasn't supposed to go this way, I was supposed to come home and give him his little gift, he was supposed to smile sweetly and hug me and twirl-

Wait. What am I thinking? I'm turning into a... _Girl_. I shudder and rip the note up. I take another dose of the medicine, and eat leftovers from yesterday's lunch in silence.

I finish up and go back upstairs to my room, slide back into bed, dozing off instantly.

I wake up again, and it's almost five in the evening. I jump out of bed, though I'm dizzy for a moment. I come out of my room and I notice Lewy sitting in the living room.

" Didn't bother waking me up, now did you?" I say. He turns his head around and when he sees me, he smiles. " How was training?"

" Horrible, Smuda was screaming at us again..." he sighs. It's my chance. I run down the stairs, into the kitchen, I grab the bag of sweets, heat up the now cold melted chocolate, and I finally walk into the living room. I sit down beside him, and hand him the gift.

" What's this?" he looks at it like it's about to explode. I nod him to take it, and he does. " Why are giving me this?"

" Ugh, can't you just accept the fact that I want to be nice once in a while?!" I shout at him, he raises an eyebrow at me.

" Thank you." he says softly. I feel my cheeks burn up a little, and for some reason, I remember my phone. While Lewy drinks his melted chocolate, I grab my phone again and check my messages. My eyes widen.

I have more than 50 missed calls, 75 text messages, and 24 voice mails. The last time I closed my phone, was the day I left my father to come live with Lewy. What's worse, is that they are all from only 2 people: my mother and sister.

I check the dates, they're all from this week. My heart starts to beat faster and faster, because I have a feeling something has gone horribly wrong.

I listen to the voicemails, and as the messages progressed, the worry in their voices increased. And finally, the last message plays. The phone slips through my fingers, and I quickly get up and dart towards the door. I run out of the house in a sprint, and I keep running in the streets. My mother and sister never call me or text me unless it's important, unless it's a matter of life and death.

I run as fast as I can, and suddenly, I'm jerked backwards and I notice Lewy panting.

" What are you doing?!" he shouts at me. I look at him, and my lower lip starts to quiver. His angry face slowly turns into a confused look. " Adelina, tell me what the hell is going on!"

" It's all my fault..." I start to go into hysterics. " I should have never left home, I should have never left him alone." I start to look around the whole place, avoiding eye contact with him.

" What are you talking about?!" he screams at me.

" It was a stupid idea... It's all because of me... It's always my fault..." I fall to my knees and burry my face in my hands. He kneels next to me and lifts my face up.

" What happened." he says urgently.

Tears start falling down my cheeks. " It's my Dad. He's in the hospital."

Two hours. That's how long it took us to get to the hospital in Lodz.

Immediately after I told Lewy about my father, he dragged me back to his car and we drove off towards my hometown.

And now, I'm running in the hallways of a crowded corridor, towards my father's room. I jerk a door open, and my breath falls short. My father is laying on a bed with an oxygen mask, my mother sitting next to him.

She sees me, and immediately gets up. " Adelina!" she exclaims. I don't pay attention to her and immediately rush to my father's bed side.

" D-Dad?" I whisper. Nothing. " What happened to him?" I turn towards my mom.

" Heart attack." she answers. " Three days ago, I came home, and I saw him laying on the kitchen floor." she pauses for a moment. " Your hair! What happened to your hair!"

" What does it look like, I cut it!" I snap at her. " Will he be okay?"

She shakes her head. " I don't know... He hasn't opened his eyes since." I hear a gasp come from behind me, and I turn around only to see Emma. She runs up to me and hugs me tightly, I push her away.

" I'm so glad you're- Wait, what happened to your hair?" I give her a dirty look, and I turn back to my mother.

" Is there anything we can do to help him?" I ask her.

" No, we can't afford the operation, the medications, and the hospital care." she says with a sigh. " We can only depend on God right now."

" What do you mean, we can't afford it?" I say practically through gritted teeth.

" The wedding cost us a fortune." my mother whispers.

I scoff, tears rolling down my face, and I turn around towards my sister. " So, you rather get married without walking down the aisle with our Father, than save him?"

" Now wait a min-"

" You hypocritical bitch." I say. She looks at me, horrified.

" Adelina!" my mother exclaims.

" And of course, it won't be anyone's fault, but mine. I shouldn't have left home, I should have known better that you would abandon him-"

" Lina, that's going too far-"

" No, me leaving the only real family I've ever had was going too far. Now, get out."

" Watch your tongue!" my mother shouts at me.

" Get out!" I shriek. " You've done enough."

" What's with all of this shouting?"

I gasp as I hear my Father's hoarse voice. " Leave us for a moment." he whispers to my mother.

My mom gets up and grabs Emma by her arm and drags her out of the room. I put my Father's hand in mine, and I start to pray. I won't be able to save him.

" Dad..."

" So how's my little girl doing, huh?" I break down in tears, he gently strokes my hair. " Have you been eating well? Is Robert treating you nicely?" I nod, unable to say anything. My Father tells me that he will be alright, but he and I know that that's a lie.

" I'll save you..." I whisper. " I promise."

The nurse chases me out of the room since visiting hours are done. I walk out of the hospital, worn out physically and mentally. I notice Lewy leaning on his car, and when he sees me his face lights up a bit. I run towards him and hug him. Normally I wouldn't do this, but I just need to feel secure for now.

One week left until the Euro, and every day since my Dad ended up in the hospital, I've been looking like a living corpse. I barely sleep at night, barely eat, barely even talk. I go to training absent mindedly, avoid the media, and when I have free time, I visit my father. I asked the nurses and doctors to give him all of the treatments necessary and that I would pay for them eventually, and they told me that my Father could wait a little longer for the operation. But I don't have much time left, they told me the last day that I can postpone the surgery would be June 16th.

I can't go on like this. I need to find a real job, I need to help my father, I need to save him.

It's Friday night, and I have decided that my Euro dreams must come to an end. We all need to sacrifice something we love to achieve something else in return.

I pack up the things in my locker, I told Lewy I would walk home tonight, though he protested. In the end, I convinced him that I would be okay, and he left without me.

I finish up, and I close my locker for good. Who was I kidding, I would have never made it to the end. I walk out of the locker room, and I suddenly bump into something, or someone. I look up and see Szczesny towering over me like always. He frowns as he notices the big duffle bag I'm carrying.

" Going somewhere?" he laughs. I bite my lower lip and walk away from him. " Kacper, you serious?" he runs up to me and jerks be backwards. I stare at him intently, and say, " I'm very serious. I quit. I can't take this anymore. Because of my stupid dream, I neglected my family, and now my Father is in the hospital because of me. I'm done here. Good luck in the Euro." I turn back around and start to walk away, yet I'm jerked back again.

" Hey, hey, hey. What happened to that bottomless confidence you had? What made you give up so easily-?"

" It's not easy giving up on your dream, Woj, but it is easy to walk away from it. And this is me, walking away. Can't you see? I've failed-"

" I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." he says.

We end up sitting on the bleachers, and I tell him all about what happened. I'm actually really surprised, because Woj hasn't really talked to me ever since that kiss. I shudder at the thought of it, especially since he was my first.

" I guess..." he starts. " I can relate to your situation... Four years ago, I broke both of my arms in a freak accident at the gym. I thought I wouldn't be able to play soccer again. It was one of the darkest moments in my life, and here I am now." he smiles arrogantly yet sweetly, " Do you think I'd be here if I gave up?" I shake my head, and then I notice the scars on his arms. He's got quite the courage not to give up after something like that, then again, Kuba was amazing in climbing back up after his Mother passed away.

" What if I said I won't give up, then how do I pay for my Father's medical bills? Money doesn't exactly grow on trees." I sigh.

" But it does come in the form of a prize." I look at him, confused. " At the end of the group stage, if we end up as number one, we all get some prize money, and usually it's a fairly good amount. You could always use the money to pay the bills-"

My confused look turns to a look that says ' you just struck gold' and I lunge at him, pulling him into a tight hug. " Woj, you genius! I think you just save my Dad." I get up from the bleacher, grab my duffle bag and run down. I run and put my stuff back into my locker, quickly say goodbye to Szczesny and I sprint out into the streets.

Why didn't I think of this before? Oh right, because when I'm all depressed I turn out to be a real dumbass! If I hadn't had Szczesny as a friend, I don't even want to think about what would happen.

So now, I need to train harder.

Because I'm leading my team to victory.

Kacper Parys style.


End file.
